Chuck 5x11: Chuck Vs. the Bullet Train

Original Air Date: 20 January 2012

Storyline: A confrontation with a ruthless agent aboard a Japanese bullet train becomes a hostage situation for Chuck and Sarah and puts Casey in a dire predicament.Best Quote:

Casey: I need you. My daughter needs you. And your country needs you.
Lester: Canada?

Review: Did this week's Chuck episode remind anyone else of Alias and Nikita? At least the part where Sarah didn't remember who she was and she started working for the bad guy reminded me of that time Sid disappeared and started killing people. 

So we're a week away from the big finale and the last time we checked into this show, Sarah Walker was in possession of the Intersect. A development I wasn't too happy about, because personally I don't want to see any more people from the Carmichael team having the Intersect in their head. The Morgan fiasco was enough for me. And guess what? That stuff started to act with her head just like it did with Morgan's and, even though she didn't turn into a major douchebag, she still experienced memory loss, headaches and the works. 
But despite all this and my compelte dissatisfaction regarding this season's developments, for the most part, I enjoyed this episode. It had its share of action (and great action, to be honest), some comedy, mostly involving Jeff and Lester, and a big chunk of emotional stuff, with Chuck and Sarah contemplating their life (again...) and that picket fence they dream about. And this part was the one I wasn't too happy about, in the end. We are not stupid, people, we don't need to be reminded over and over again that these two crazy kids want to settle down and leave the spy life behind. So cut it already!
What I was glad about was keeping Quinn as the baddie for the rest of the season. I know I'm not exactly fond of the guy and I think he's the whiniest, most unfit villain for a series finale, but he ended up being quite smart in outwitting Chuck & co. Not only was he capable of keeping everyone on their toes with abducting Chuck and Alex - after all, there aren't many things that can throw Casey off his game and make him point a gun at his friends, but he also managed to get away with Sarah and erase her memory to the point where she didn't remember who her own husband was. And now she's the perfect soldier, on a mission to kill the very person she is supposed to spend the rest of her life with. So, after all, Quinn managed to grow on me as the series finale big baddie.
One very important thing about "Chuck vs. the Bullet Train" was having virtually everyone - from Alex to Jeff and Lester - work together towards catching Quinn. You'd think this would make the episode too crowded, but it actually worked out pretty well, because there were no side arcs. Well, except for Jeffster, who couldn't let their memory loss go and had to figure out what was going on in the Buy More. Again. Maybe this is the one aspect that made this installment less enjoyable that it should have been. However, Lester's showdown and his reference to Survivor ("You're out-gunned, out-manned, out...side, and it's a lovely day, so throw down your gun and nobody gets hurt.") made him grow in my heart and constituted my favorite moment of the hour. And Jeff with the flamethrower was pretty badass too.
Among my other favorite moments, I have to mention Sarah kicking Quinn's ass (if you think she is bendy enough without the Intersect, wait until you see her with it!), Chuck and Sarah discussing the Intersect like two kids discovering a very cool toy and Lester's reaction when Casey told him his country needed him. Did anyone say Canada?Chuck 5x10: Chuck vs. Bo Back to Season 5